Are you a co-host looking after someone else’s Airbnb listing? You can run the whole BetterSTR side for them: the guidebook, check-in details, WiFi and TVs. You do it from your own login, without needing their password.
The listing has to be connected from the owner’s BetterSTR account. The owner then invites you in with Team access. This article explains why, and how to set it up in about five minutes.
Why the owner has to connect, not you
- A co-host can’t import the owner’s listings. When you connect Airbnb, only listings that belong to the Airbnb account you sign in with come across. Listings where you are only a co-host don’t.
- Each BetterSTR account can only have one integration. If you already connect your own listings or PMS, you can’t add a second connection for the owner’s listings to the same account.
Team access solves both. The owner connects their own Airbnb (or PMS) to their own free BetterSTR account, and you work inside that account with your own login. Your own account and its connection stay exactly as they are.
Step 1: the owner signs up and connects
- Ask the owner to create a free account at auth.betterstr.com/register.php.
- They open Integrations and click Connect Airbnb, or connect the PMS the listing uses. Their listings and reservations then sync automatically.
That’s all the owner needs to do with the setup. They don’t need to build anything, and you’ll do the rest.
Step 2: the owner invites you
- The owner opens Users & Team in the left-hand menu and clicks Invite someone.
- They enter your email address, the one you use (or will use) for BetterSTR. A label like “Co-host” is optional.
- They choose Manager so you can do everything a co-host normally does, or Editor if you shouldn’t see guest ID documents or handle security deposits.
- Under Which properties? they leave All properties on this account ticked, or tick just the listings you look after.
- They click Send invitation.
Step 3: you accept and switch in
- You’ll get an email with an Accept invitation link. Sign in with your own BetterSTR login, or create a free one on the way through.
- You land on Switch account. Pick the owner’s account to step into it.
- A bar at the top shows whose account you’re in. Use Switch account there to move between accounts, or My account to go back to your own.
What you can do in the owner’s account
With the Manager preset you can:
- build and edit the guidebooks, menus, images and translations;
- change property settings, check-in details and map locations;
- see reservations, guest contact details and verification;
- manage WiFi, TVs and tablets.
Everything you change is saved under your own name, and the owner’s password is never shared.
What stays with the owner
A team member can never see the owner’s balance or transactions, add funds, change plans, connect or disconnect integrations, edit their profile, send SMS, change automations, create or delete properties, or invite other people. If the Airbnb connection ever needs reconnecting, the owner does it from their own login.
Co-hosting for several owners
Each owner invites you from their own account. You keep one login, and every account you’ve been invited into is listed on Switch account. Your own listings stay in your own account, with your own connection.
Who pays?
By default the owner’s account pays for any plan on their properties. If you’d rather pay for their listings yourself, the owner can tick Pays the Simple Bundle for their properties on your access. You then agree to it from your own login, and the fee comes out of your BetterSTR balance. Nobody is charged until you agree. Who pays explains how it works.
Good to know
- Invitations expire after 14 days. The owner can click Resend (the envelope icon) on the Team page.
- The owner can change your access with the key icon, or remove you with the remove icon. Changes apply within a minute, even if you’re logged in at the time.
- The owner can also require two-step sign-in, so you need a code from an authenticator app before you can switch into their account.